how to prepare porridge yam

How to prepare Afang soup

Weekly Nigerian Meal Planner

This Weekly Nigerian Meal Planner is to help plan meals for the week. Some like to plan ahead and cook everything for one week over the weekend and not have to worry about cooking during the week, while others go with the flow and cook in the week or whenever is needed or better yet, order take out! These are general guidelines on creating a meal plan for the week with emphasis on consuming a considerable amount of fruits and vegetables. You can take the basic meal planner and tweak it as you see fit to fit your schedule and lifestyle. There are two meal planners in this post: one for readers in Nigeria and the other for readers in the U.S, U.K, Canada and elsewhere overseas. You can take elements from both to create your own if you’d like and if ingredients are readily available in your neck of the woods, you’re also free to substitute one for the other. You can also find most of the recipes on our site.

• First up, the meal planner for readers in Nigeria:

	BREAKFAST	SNACK	LUNCH	SNACK	DINNER	SNACK
MONDAY	Quaker Oats w/ a cup of tea/coffee	Any fruit in season	Amala w/ Fish stew & Ewedu. Water to drink	Any fruit in season	Boiled/ Baked Sweet Potatoes w/ meat stew	Cereal w/ skim milk OR a Granola bar
TUESDAY	Akara & Ogi (Baba-the brown Ogi)	Any fruit in season	Fufu w/ Efo Riro (vegetable stew). Water to drink	Fruit Salad	Rice w/ Efo Riro (vegetable stew)	Cereal w/ skim milk OR  a granola bar
WEDNESDAY	Boiled Eggs & Bread. Cup of tea/coffee	Any fruit in season	Jollof Rice & Dodo (fried plantain) w/ meat or chicken stew	Chin Chin	Eko w/ meat or chicken stew	Cereal w/ skim milk OR  a granola bar
THURSDAY	Bread & stew. Cup of tea/coffee	Any fruit in season	Iyan (pounded yam) w/ Egusi stew. Water to drink	Fruit Salad	Boiled Plantains w/ meat or chicken stew OR vegetable stew	Cereal w/ skim milk OR  a granola bar
FRIDAY	Quaker Oats w/ a cup of tea/coffee	Any fruit in season	White Rice w/ moi moi & stewed fish or fried meat/chicken. Soft Drink/ Mineral.	Boli (roast plantain) w/ groundnuts	Regular Beans OR Ewa Aganyin  w/ chicken stew.	Cereal w/ skim milk OR  a granola bar
SATURDAY	Boiled Yam w/ geisha or corned beef stew. Cup of tea/coffee	Any fruit in season	Ikokore w/ meat/chicken stew. Water to drink.	Meat/Chicken Pies	Fried Rice w/ coleslaw, fried chicken. Fruit Juice.	Cereal w/ skim milk OR  a granola bar
SUNDAY	Boiled Yam w/ fried eggs, stew & sausages. Cup of tea/coffee	Any fruit in season	Semolina OR Amala w/ Ogbonno & Bitter Leaf stew	Fruit Salad	Tuwo (ground rice) w/ meat stew	Cereal w/ skim milk OR  a granola bar

• Next up, the meal planner for readers outside of Nigeria (U.S, U.K, Canada etc)

	BREAKFAST	SNACK	LUNCH	SNACK	DINNER	SNACK
MONDAY	Instant Quaker Oats w/ a cup of tea	Small Smoothie	Jollof Rice & Dodo (fried plantain) w/ meat or chicken stew	Fruit Salad	Boiled/ Baked Sweet Potatoes w/ meat stew	Cereal w skim milk OR a Granola bar. Water to drink.
TUESDAY	½ a Bagel or a mini bagel w/ light cream cheese. Cup of tea/coffee	1 cup mixed fruits/nuts	Asaro w/ goat meat/chicken stew. Water to drink	Fruit Salad	Rice w/ Efo Riro (vegetable stew)	Cereal w skim milk OR a Granola bar. Water to drink.
WEDNESDAY	Scrambled Eggs w/sausages. Cup of tea/coffee	Any fruit in season	White Rice & Ayamashe. Water to drink.	Fruit Salad	Noodles w/ meat or chicken stew & a boiled egg	Cereal w skim milk OR a Granola bar. Water to drink.
THURSDAY	Bread & stew. Cup of tea/coffee.	Granola Bar	Iyan (pounded yam) w/ Egusi stew. Water to drink	Fruit Salad	Boiled Plantains w/ meat or chicken stew OR vegetable stew. Water to drink	Cereal w skim milk OR a Granola bar. Water to drink.
FRIDAY	Instant Quaker Oats w/ a cup of tea/coffee	Any fruit in season	Rice w/fish stew.  Soda or juice.	Fruit Salad	Spaghetti w/ chicken stew. Water to drink.	Cereal w skim milk OR a Granola bar. Water to drink.
SATURDAY	Pancakes or Crepes w/ sausages. Cup of tea/coffee.	Any fruit in season	Eba w/ Okra soup (and meat/chicken stew). Water to drink.	Meat/Chicken Pies	Fried Rice w/ coleslaw, fried chicken. Juice.	Cereal w skim milk OR a Granola bar. Water to drink.
SUNDAY	Boiled Yam w/ fried eggs, stew & sausages. Cup of tea/coffee	Any fruit in season	Beans w/ chicken stew. Water to drink.	Fruit Salad	Fried Plantains w/ vegetable stew. Water to drink	Cereal w skim milk OR a Granola bar. Water to drink.

Notes:

1. After having dinner, try snacking on something light if you still feel hungry, more so if you’re concerned about your weight.
2. Soda, juice and the like, (as much as they taste good!) are usually loaded with sugar and hence, empty liquid calories, so substitute for water where possible and if you’re one who doesn’t like the ‘taste’ of water, try adding lemon/lime/cucumber slices for a subtle change in taste.
3. If you do decide to eat cereal after dinner, ensure that it’s not one loaded with sugar.
4. Though some days might call for meals like Eba or Iyan (pounded yam), it doesn’t mean you should eat mountains and mountains of it (till you feel the need to make a slit in your side so your stomach can ‘breathe,’ lol)! Eat everything in moderation.

   You see, Oma cares, LOL......Let me know what you think

6 Secrets to Speedy Soups

Pictured Recipe: Chicken & Spinach Soup with Fresh Pesto »

Try these 6 cooking tricks to make a flavor-packed soup recipe in 30 minutes

At the end of a long and tiring day, spending a lot of time cooking dinner is not always appealing. But with a hungry family ready for dinner, you need a meal that’s quick and easy, has minimal cleanup and is healthy and satisfying.
The solution? A soup pot and some on-hand ingredients are all you need to get a wholesome dinner on the table fast. Soup is inexpensive, too; most can be made for less than $3 a serving. Find out EatingWell's 6 secrets to speedy soup success

Eating Clean? 6 Processed Foods You Can Avoid & Easily Make at Home

iet. With easy homemade recipes, cutting back on processed foods and eating clean is easier than you might think.

We may never all agree on just what "eating clean" really means, but if cleansing your diet means you think about your food, learn more about where it comes from and how healthy it is for you, that's a good thing. Start by eating wholesome fruits and vegetables, especially those that are in season. Choose whole grains and whole-grain products over refined ones. Try limiting (but not necessarily eliminating) saturated fats, sodium and added sugars in your cooking and in the prepared foods you choose.
For many of us, the easiest way to eat clean is to cook at home. While we don't all have time to make everything we eat from scratch, it can be fun (and easy!) to try your hand at making a few of the convenient processed foods you’d usually buy.
What are processed foods? They often come in a box or a jar, are can be high in added sugars, low in fiber and whole grains, processed with sodium, high in fat or include trans fat and lots of saturated fat.
While snack foods, candy, cookies and crackers are certainly considered processed foods, “healthy” foods can fall into this category too. Here is a list of 6 common processed foods that you can easily make a healthier homemade version of:

Day Weight-Loss Diet Meal Plan

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See how to eat 1,200 calories a day.

EatingWell's 7-Day Weight-Loss Diet Meal Plan is designed to provide an overall healthy-eating program at five different daily caloric levels: 1,200, 1,400, 1,600, 1,800 and 2,000. The menus are packed with nutrient-rich foods, including whole grains, lean meats, low-fat dairy and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Find out which calorie level is best for your with this simple calculation. Using that daily calorie goal, cut 500 calories per day to lose one pound per week. To lose two pounds, cut 1,000 calories.
H

EatingWell 7 Day Diet Meal Plan

7 Day Weight Loss 1200 calorie menu - Day 1

• Breakfast

  • 1 Cup Skim Milk
  • 1 Orange, medium
  • 1 Cup Cheerios Cereal

• Morning Snack

  • 1 Cup Cantaloupe Melon

• Lunch

  • Vietnamese-Style Beef & Noodle Broth
  • 1 Whole-Wheat Pita Bread, small
  • 1 Cup Skim Milk
  • 1 Fudgsicle, no sugar added

• Afternoon Snack

  • 2 Tablespoons Prepared Hummus
  • 3 Ounces Celery Sticks

• Dinner

  • 1/2 Cup Cooked Brown Rice
  • Green & Yellow Beans with Wild Mushrooms
  • Roasted Cod with Warm Tomato-Olive-Caper Tapenade
  • 1/2 Banana, small

Cheesecake Pancakes

Make restaurant-inspired cream cheese pancakes at home and there's no limit to how many you can have.

• Prep Time 30 min
• Total Time 8 hr 30 min
• Servings 5

Ingredients

Pancakes

1

package (8 oz) cream cheese

2

cups Original Bisquick® mix

1/2

cup graham cracker crumbs

1/4

cup sugar

1

cup milk

2

eggs

Strawberry Syrup

1

cup sliced fresh strawberries

1/2

cup strawberry syrup for pancakes

Shrimp Fried Rice

.

• Prep Time 30 min
• Total Time 30 min
• Servings 4

Ingredients

1

tablespoon sesame oil

2

eggs, slightly beaten

1

tablespoon olive oil

2

cups chopped fresh or frozen (thawed) broccoli

1

cup chopped carrots

1

cup fresh or frozen (thawed) snow pea pods

2

cups cold cooked white rice

1

clove garlic, finely chopped

1

teaspoon grated gingerroot

3

tablespoons soy sauce

1

lb uncooked medium shrimp, peeled (tail shells removed), deveined

1

cup chopped green onions

• 1 In wok or large skillet, heat sesame oil over medium heat. Cook eggs in oil, stirring constantly, until thickened but still moist. Remove eggs from skillet to plate; cover to keep warm.
• 2 In same skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add broccoli, carrots and pea pods; stir-fry until crisp-tender. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in rice, garlic, gingerroot and soy sauce. Add shrimp. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until rice is hot and shrimp are pink.
• 3 Stir in scrambled eggs and green onions; cook 1 minute longer. Serve immediately.

Expert Tips

Brown rice is a nutritious option that can be used in this recipe.
Use your favorite combination of veggies in this fried rice.

Friendship Bread How-To Prepare It

1

Make a starter then make a loaf of delicious cinnamon bread. We've detailed everything you need to know to kick off this fun tradition—from a simple starter mix to the first, fresh-from-the-oven slice. 

Amish friendship bread is a quick bread made with a sweet, sourdough starter. The starter ferments for 10 days then doubles in size. Every day the starter must be tended to (Don’t worry: it’s as easy as you squishing the bag it comes in!). On the 10th day you share some of the starter with friends (so they can begin making their own loaves) and bake two delicious loaves of cinnamon-scented bread for you and a new friend.
Check out the recipe for instructions on how to get started. After your starter has been stirred and squished for ten days, you're ready to make a batch of bread.
This recipe isn't just simple and delicious; it's also a fun way to teach your kids basic baking skills. Begin by mixing the ingredients together to make a smooth batter.

Spray two large loaf pans with nonstick baking spray (the kind with flour in the mix). If you can't find baking spray, generously butter and flour the pan instead. The more the merrier when it comes to greasing a pan so that the bread won't stick!

This is where the bread takes a turn for the delicious! Traditional Amish Friendship bread is a loaf of cinnamoney goodness. But we amped things up with an extra cinnamon swirl. (It’s so beautiful to slice into!) To give your loaves a final flair, scoop about 1/3 of the batter into a medium bowl, add cinnamon (lots and lots of cinnamon), then whisk until the batter changes to a deep, brown color.

Now place little dollops of the cinnamon batter into the bowl with the remaining batter and use a fork or knife to gently swirl together, but just a little!

You want to keep those nice, big swirls intact by not overmixing.

Now pour the batter into your two, prepared loaf pans…

And get ready to bake in a hot oven. The loaves will need about an hour to bake—the perfect amount of time to clean the kitchen.

Once your loaves are out of the oven and cooled, wrap them up with a note and share with a new friend.

They'll be so glad you did, and you will too!

Don't forget to give your bread with a bag of friendship bread starter to keep the fun going for everyone, all year long.

How to Make Gbegiri (Beans) Nigerian Soup

When some people think of beans, they assume there are only few ways you can make it. Gbegiri is soup made from beans and it is easy to make and very tasty. This is a traditional Nigerian recipe that is specific to the Yoruba People. Many Nigerian Soups have their variations. Gbegiri is on of those dishes. You can add or subtract from it to fit your taste buds. Some like it really spicy and some like it mild. Gbegiri is a Yoruba word which means ‘beans’. Vegetarians can have their version of this dish by skipping on the meat, chicken etc but still getting the protein requirement from this meal. Enjoy the Pot Pourri version of the Gbegiri Recipe.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup of beans

Red Oil

Stock (Dry) Fish

Meat

Salt

Cube

Grounded Crayfish

Dry Pepper

Blended pepper and Tomato

Recipe 

Soak the beans in some hot water; this makes it easier for the back of the beans to come off

Wash the beans until it is completely clean.

Put it in a pan and allow to boil for an hour and 30 minutes or until it is completely soft and mushy.

In another pot, boil your meat and add the necessary seasoning.

Using a sieve, extract the liquified beans. Use a spoon as this is easier, and it will help remove all the water completely.

Transfer the extraction into a clean pot and add the red oil, a little blended pepper, and dry pepper.

Allow to boil for 3-5 minutes, then add the meat stock.

Season to taste

Add the dry fish( ensure you soak the dry fish in some hot salted water before using it)  and the cray fish.

Allow to boil on low heat for 10 minutes.

You can serve with ewedu (jute leaves) and pounded yam or amala.

How to make Samosa (from India)

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Samosa is an Indian delicacy but Nigerians love it so much!
It is now a constant feature at every party. Be sure to look for it in the small chops section and hurry because it is usually one of the first to disappear.

 

Ingredients for Samosa

The following ingredients make 8 samosas:

The dough:

• 60g (2 oz) plain flour (all purpose flour)
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• A pinch of salt
• Warm water
• Vegetable oil for deep-frying

The filling:

• 2 medium Irish potatoes
• 2 handfuls of green peas
• 100g minced beef
• 2 cooking spoons of vegetable oil
• 1 big stock cube
• 1 stalk of spring onion (cut into thin circles)
• 1 teaspoon of curry powder (for colour, no chilli)
• Salt and ground cayenne pepper (to taste)

Feel free to customize the filling to your taste but the classic Indian Samosa must contain Irish potatoes and green peas.

How to make Spring Rolls (from Asia) spring rolls nigerian small chop Spring Rolls originated from Asia but Nigerians have recently been bitten by the Spring Rolls bug! I love Spring Rolls because once you get the Spring Rolls Wrappers right, you can fill them up with anything and they will taste great. They are usually filled with vegetables (hence spring) but I love to add beef to my spring rolls filling. How to make Spring Rolls [Video] Ingredients for Spring Rolls For the Spring Rolls wrappers: You can use store-bought wrappers for your spring rolls or you can make them yourself. To see how to make them at home, see: Homemade Spring Rolls Wrappers. For the filling: You can use any combinations of beef and/or vegetables for your spring rolls filling. The following quantities of ingredients will make make a filling for 15 spring rolls. I use: 50g minced beef A handful green peas 1 spring onion 1 medium carrot 1 small green bell pepper Habanero (Scotch bonnet) pepper (to taste) 1 Stock cube 1 teaspoon thyme A small quantity of vegetable oil For sealing the spring rolls: 1 tablespoon plain flour (all purpose flour) 2 tablespoons cold water See the video below for details of how to make Spring Rolls.

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Spring Rolls originated from Asia but Nigerians have recently been bitten by the Spring Rolls bug!
I love Spring Rolls because once you get the Spring Rolls Wrappers right, you can fill them up with anything and they will taste great. They are usually filled with vegetables (hence spring) but I love to add beef to my spring rolls filling.
How to make Spring Rolls [Video]

Ingredients for Spring Rolls

For the Spring Rolls wrappers:

You can use store-bought wrappers for your spring rolls or you can make them yourself. To see how to make them at home, see: Homemade Spring Rolls Wrappers.

For the filling:

You can use any combinations of beef and/or vegetables for your spring rolls filling.
The following quantities of ingredients will make make a filling for 15 spring rolls. I use:

• 50g minced beef
• A handful green peas
• 1 spring onion
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 small green bell pepper
• Habanero (Scotch bonnet) pepper (to taste)
• 1 Stock cube
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• A small quantity of vegetable oil

For sealing the spring rolls:

• 1 tablespoon plain flour (all purpose flour)
• 2 tablespoons cold water

See the video below for details of how to make Spring Rolls. The written recipe is exclusive to the

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Spring Rolls originated from Asia but Nigerians have recently been bitten by the Spring Rolls bug!
I love Spring Rolls because once you get the Spring Rolls Wrappers right, you can fill them up with anything and they will taste great. They are usually filled with vegetables (hence spring) but I love to add beef to my spring rolls filling.

Ingredients for Spring Rolls

For the Spring Rolls wrappers:

You can use store-bought wrappers for your spring rolls or you can make them yourself. To see how to make them at home, see: Homemade Spring Rolls Wrappers.

For the filling:

You can use any combinations of beef and/or vegetables for your spring rolls filling.
The following quantities of ingredients will make make a filling for 15 spring rolls. I use:

• 50g minced beef
• A handful green peas
• 1 spring onion
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 small green bell pepper
• Habanero (Scotch bonnet) pepper (to taste)
• 1 Stock cube
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• A small quantity of vegetable oil

For sealing the spring rolls:

• 1 tablespoon plain flour (all purpose flour)
• 2 tablespoons cold water

See the video below for details of how to make Spring Rolls. The written recipe is exclusive to the 

Nigerian Groundnut Soup (Peanut Soup)

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Groundnut Soup (Peanut Soup) is next best soup after Egusi Soup. It is prepared the same way as Egusi Soup so you can apply the two methods of preparing Egusi Soup to Groundnut Soup with great results.
Nigerian Groundnut Soup [Video]
If you cannot find the ingredients to cook Egusi Soup where you live, Groundnut Soup is a great alternative. I must say that it has some sweetness to it that takes a bit of getting used to if you have not tasted the soup before.

Ingredients for Groundnut Soup

• 500g raw peeled groundnuts (peanuts)
• Assorted meat and fish. I use:
  • Beef
  • Shaki (cow tripe)
  • Dry fish
  • Stock fish
• Palm Oil
• A small bunch of Nigerian Pumpkin leaves or 6 cubes Frozen Spinach or Bitterleaf
• 2 tablespoons ground crayfish
• 2 big stock cubes
• Salt & ground dry cayenne pepper: to taste

Notes about the ingredients

1. Palm oil mainly adds colour and sometimes taste to Nigerian soups so add enough quantity to colour the soup to your liking.
2. Bitter leaves help tone down the sweetness of this soup so if you do NOT have a sweet tooth, then you should use bitterleaves in preparing this soup. Let's put it this way: if you prefer bitter leaves for your Egusi Soup, then you should use them for Groundnut Soup too.
3. You can also use fresh habanero peppers in place of dry cayenne peppers.

Tool

Before you cook Groundnut Soup

1. Soak the stockfish and dry fish for a few hours. The length of time depends on how hard the stock fish is. Some even need to be boiled a bit. Mine soaks in under 1 hour. When soft, clean the fish, remove the bones and separate them into small pieces.
2. Roast the raw groundnuts in a pan, stirring constantly till they look like this. Set aside to cool down completely then grind into powder with a dry mill.
3. Wash and cut the Nigerian pumpkin leaves into tiny pieces. If using frozen spinach, cut into small pieces and wring out the excess water when fully defrosted.
4. Prepare other ingredients: grind the pepper and grind the crayfish.

Cooking Directions

1. Start cooking the shaki first as it is the toughest meat in the bunch. Always keep water to the same level as the contents of the pot and top it up as you cook.
2. When the shaki starts to curl, add the dry fish and stockfish.
3. When the shaki is almost done, add beef and stock cubes and cook till all the meat and fish are well done.
4. Add the crayfish, salt and pepper, cover and cook till it boils.
5. Transfer the meat and fish to another pot/container leaving the stock in the pot.
6. Add the ground groundnuts and stir very well till there are no lumps. Reduce the heat to very low and start cooking.
7. Stir every 5 minutes and top up the water if necessary. This mixture burns easily so watch it closely and stir as often as necessay.
8. Cook till a thin film of clear oil appears on the surface. This should take about 15 minutes. Add palm oil and stir very well.
9. Add the beef and fish, stir and cook on low heat till it boils. For those who prefer their groundnut soup without vegetables, the soup is ready at this time. If you prefer it with vegetables then go to step 10.
10. Add the vegetables, stir and leave to simmer. Stir again and it is done.

1. Serve Groundnut Soup with any Nigerian Fufu meal.

Why mango is good for you

Mango boosts our ability to combat cancer, heart disease and eye problems.

Faced with the enticing fragrance of Alphonso mangoes, nagging concerns about food miles and air freighting have a tendency to fly out the window. The fibrous cucumber-meets-courgette flesh of the Tommy Atkins – our supermarkets' cosmetically groomed pet variety – is easy to resist. But the Indian Alphonso and the Pakistani Langra and Chaunsa mangoes, when they appear from May onwards, are utterly irresistible. Uneven in colour, with imperfections on the skin, they come tissue-wrapped inside snug little boxes bedecked with sub-continental tinsel and exotic cargo labels worthy of Indiana Jones. These subcontinental mangoes are picked mature and are usually rewardingly ripe. Select those that are soft, not squashy, and use their scent as an indicator of eating quality.

Why mangoes are good for you

Mangoes contain a store of phenolic and carotenoid compounds (gallotannins, alpha-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin and more) that seem to offer some protection against several types of cancer. Vitamin A and beta-carotene in mango can boost your eye health, while vitamin B6 helps control homocysteine in the blood. High levels of this amino acid are associated with increased risk of heart disease and stroke. The soluble fibre in mangoes slows down the release of sugar into your blood, but mangoes are sweet, so not the best fruit choice for slimmers.

Cardamom labneh with mango and rosewater

You'll need a new J-cloth or clean muslin to make this labneh, a fresh cheese made by straining yoghurt, preferably overnight. It has many sweet and savoury uses and makes a good fresh accompaniment to fruit.
Serves 4
½ tbsp soft brown sugar
8 cardamom pods, deseeded and crushed to a powder
Zest and juice of ½ lime
300g Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp rosewater
2 mangoes
30g shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
1 Combine the sugar, cardamom and lime zest, then stir into the yoghurt.
2 Scald some muslin or a new J-cloth in boiling water and leave to cool. Wring it out then use it to line a sieve big enough to hold the yoghurt. Place the sieve over a bowl and tip the yoghurt into it. Tie up the cloth and give it a squeeze. Leave to strain overnight, or for a full day if you have the time. Give it a squeeze occasionally.
3 Make the syrup by bringing 100ml water and the honey to the boil. Simmer until the mixture thickens, leave to cool and then add the lime juice and rosewater.
4 Peel the mango, carefully slicing the flesh from the central stone and cutting into lengths. Lay the slices in a dish and pour over the cooled syrup.
5 To serve, turn the labneh out of the sieve and cut into quarters. Top with mango slices and syrup, then scatter a few pistachios on top.

The 5:2 diet – feasts for fast days

 

The fasting diet, otherwise known as the 5:2, restricts calories for two days a week.

For the first time since university I am on a diet. Somehow, I've become a calorie-counter, someone who weighs out porridge oats and drinks herbal tea. In other words, the kind of person I've always pitied.

The thing is, I'm actually quite enjoying it – enjoying being a relative term, of course. In an ideal world, I'd boast the kind of robust metabolism that laughs in the face of cooking six bakewell tarts an afternoon, but I don't. And since I started my Perfect recipe column a couple of years ago, I've noticed the pounds slowly creeping on. There's a lot to love about my job, but it does make it almost impossible to eat healthily.
The fasting diet, otherwise known as the 5:2 because of the format – five days of normal eating a week and two in which you restrict your calories (500kcal for women, 600kcal for men) – seemed to offer a glimmer of hope for my hips. It's basically the diet for people who like food. Everyone from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall to wine writer Fiona Beckett has been boring on about fast days, and if they could do it, well, so could I.
So far, I've managed two months. As someone who's never made a habit of weighing themselves, I can only tell you that I think I've lost about 10lb since I started, which includes a two-week period over Easter where I gave myself a bit of a break, but only put back on 1lb.
The odd thing was, after Easter I was impatient to get going again. The 5:2 already feels like a long-term project. It's not difficult to stick to either. After all, if you really want a biscuit, you can always have one tomorrow – a thought I find extremely cheering.
Many people I've spoken to seem to avoid cooking at all on a fast day, reasoning perhaps that it simply puts temptation in their way. Indeed, in her book, the Fast Diet, co-authored with Dr Michael Mosley, whose 2012 BBC Horizon programme on fasting kickstarted interest in the idea, Mimi Spencer advises preparing food in advance, and keeping it simple, "aiming for fast-day flavour without effort".
I couldn't disagree more. For me, the challenge of devising satisfying recipes that fit within the daily 500-kcal limit has kept fast days interesting, and frankly, if you're only going to be eating two small meals a day, heating them up in the microwave makes things even more depressing. Here are a few tips I've found useful so far, and three of my favourite fast-day recipes …
• Low-calorie cooking is all about strong flavours: pungent spices, zesty lemon juice and salty soy sauce will all help to distract your attention from the missing calories, as will lots of garlic and big handfuls of fresh herbs.
• Don't be too hard on yourself. Usually I sniffily avoid artificial sweeteners, but a cold glass of slimline tonic with a slice of lime and plenty of ice goes down a treat when everyone else is glugging wine. I've even been known to indulge in a low-calorie pot of jelly when I'm feeling particularly wild.
• Carbs are rarely worth the calories. A paltry 50g of brown rice takes up over a third of your daily calorie count. Save them for tomorrow and fill up on vegetables and berries instead.
• Pickles such as gherkins (14kcal per 100g) and miso soups (20-30kcal a cup) are your friends for snacks.
• Drink lots. Sparkling water, evil diet drinks and weird and wonderful teas will keep you occupied mid-afternoon.
• Embrace your inner nerd and invest in a set of electronic scales and a calorie-counting book or app, or you'll find it impossible to measure your intake accurately.

Sweet spiced porridge

(Serves 1, 202kcal)
40g porridge oats
Grating of nutmeg
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of salt
5g mixed peel
10g currants
Put the oats into a small pan with about twice as much water. Heat gently and stir until they're thick and creamy. Add more water if you prefer them runnier. Season with nutmeg, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Stir in the mixed peel and currants and spoon into a bowl.

Roasted broccoli, garlic and chilli soup

(Serves 2, 200kcal each)
600g broccoli (2 medium heads)
4 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chilli flakes
600ml chicken or vegetable stock
1 unwaxed lemon
10g grated parmesan
Preheat the oven to 200C. Cut the broccoli into florets and chop the stalk into large chunks. Put in a baking dish with the garlic and toss well with the olive oil, chilli and some coarse sea salt. Roast for about 20 minutes until tender and the broccoli florets are beginning to char. Put the chunks of stalk in a food processor, along with the larger florets. Squeeze the garlic from its skin and add to the stock. Whizz until smoothish. Pour into a pan and reheat, diluting slightly if you prefer a thinner soup. Grate in the zest of half a lemon and add a squeeze of juice. Season to taste. Spoon into bowls, and top with the remaining florets, and parmesan. Serve immediately.

Frozen yoghurt with berries

(Serves 1, 120kcal or 100kcal without the honey)
150g frozen berries
100g fat-free Greek yoghurt
1tsp honey (optional)
Blend half the berries with the yoghurt in a food processor until smooth. Add the honey and whizz again, then taste and add a little more lemon if necessary (you can also add more honey, but bear in mind each teaspoon adds 20kcal). Scoop into a bowl or glass and top with the remaining berries.

How to make poashed mushroom egg

VIDEO: How to make pan cakes

African Salad (Abacha & Ugba)

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My grandmother always told me that Abacha is not a meal. Though it can be as filling as any other main course meal, African Salad is usually eaten as an in-between meal.
How to Make Abacha with Ugba [Video]
I remember vividly how my grandma prepared Abacha as soon as she came back from the Eke or Afor market, garnished with a generous serving of garden eggs and the leaves, with some dry fish. Oh, I will never forget the long vacations spent at grandma's place.
Abacha is prepared with cassava. The cassava tubers are cooked till done then sliced with a special cutter. The sliced cassava is then soaked in cold water overnight, washed thoroughly and dried under the sun.
Your African Salad will not be complete without Ugba. Ugba, also known as Ukpaka, is made from oil bean seeds. These seeds are cooked for several hours then sliced, washed and fermented for a few days.

Ingredients for Abacha

The following are the complete ingredients you need to make a delicious African Salad. I will group the ingredients for ease. I did not use all these in the video because they are not available where I live.
For African Salad, the more ingredients you use, the tastier and more "complete" it will be. Some people may regard Ugba as optional but for me, it is a must :)

Minimum ingredients for making Abacha (African Salad)

• Abacha | 3 handfuls
• Ugba | 2 cups
• Palm Oil | 30 cl
• Powdered Potash (food tenderizer) | 2 tablespoons
• Fish | Mackerel/Dry Fish/Stockfish
• 1 large Onion
• Salt and dry pepper (to taste)
• Crayfish | 2 handfuls
• 2 Stock cubes (Maggi/Knorr)
• 1 teaspoon ground Ehu seeds (Calabash Nutmeg)

Other seasoning you can add to the Abacha

• 1 teaspoon Ogiri / Iru (traditional Nigerian seasoning that smells like you-know-what lol)

Other meat and vegetables for the Abacha

• 3 Fresh Utazi leaves (Gongronema latifolium)
• Pomo / Kanda (cow skin)
• Garden Eggs | As much as you can eat
• Garden Egg leaves | 1 medium bunch
• 1 medium Onion (for serving)

Before to Make Your African Salad

1. Prepare the ehu seeds by roasting, dehauling and grinding them with a dry mill. See this video for how to do that.
2. If you will use kanda (cow skin), cook till done and cut into small pieces.
3. Depending on your choice of fish (you can also use all of them), fry or roast the mackerel, soak the stockfish in water and debone the dry fish.
4. Wash and cut the vegetables into tiny pieces. Cut the big bulb of onion into tiny pieces and cut the medium one in circles. Wash the garden egges and set aside, no need to cut these.
5. Grind the crayfish and pepper
6. Soak the Abacha in cold water and rinse the Ugba with lukewarm water.
7. Once the Abacha has softened, put in a sieve to drain.
8. Put the powdered potash in a cup or bowl and pour about 1 cup of cold water. Stir well and you are ready to start making the African Salad.

Making the African Salad

The key to making a good African Salad is to make sure that all the ingredients are well incorporated. As you will see below, there's a lot of add this, stir, add that, stir. You may wonder why you can't just add everything and stir but if you do that, it will be very difficult for you to get a good blend of all the ingredients.

1. Pour the palm oil into a sizeable pot. Yes you need all that oil so that your Abacha will not have a dry feel in the mouth when done. Pour the water from the potash mixture, making sure not to pour the sediments.
2. Stir very well and you'll see the oil turn into a yellow paste.
3. Add the ground pepper, ground ehu, crushed stock cubes, crayfish, diced onions and ugba (ukpaka), then stir very well. Please not that we are doing everything off the stove.
4. Add the iru/ogiri and make sure it is mixed very well. Add the diced kanda/pomo and stir very well.
5. Now add the soaked and drained Abacha and stir till it is well-incorporated in the palm oil paste.
6. Add the sliced Utazi and salt to taste and stir well. You can also use dry Utazi if the fresh one is not available where you live. It is important that you add salt last because after adding all that seasoning, your Abacha may not even need salt anymore.
7. I like my Abacha warm. If you like yours that way too, transfer to a stove at this point and heat it up to your desired temperature at medium heat. When done, turn off the heat and add the sliced garden egg leaves, stir very well and serve.
8. If you like your Abacha cold, after step 6, add the sliced garden egg leaves, stir and serve with garden eggs, fish and onions.

You are done! Eat with chilled palm wine for the full effects :)
Watch the video below to see how I did mine. I used minimal ingredients but don't be shy about using all the possible ingredients if these are available to you.

How to make Coleslaw

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Coleslaw simply means cabbage salad. It is a blend of finely shredded cabbage, carrots and a few other crunchy vegetables. It is then generously dressed with mayonnaise and salad cream.
It is generally eaten as a side dish to such foods as Jollof Rice, Fried/Barbecued Chicken, Moi Moi and many other rice dishes.
Coleslaw is usually served chilled to allow the dressing settle into the vegetables.

Ingredients

• 1 small cabbage
• 1 small green bell pepper
• ½ tin of green peas
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 medium onion
• 5 tablespoons of salad cream (preferably Heinz Classic Salad Cream)
• 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• A pinch of salt

Preparation

All the vegetables need to be washed.

1. Cut the cabbage, green bell pepper and onions into very tiny pieces.
2. Scrape and shred the carrots using a grater, then use a knife to cut across the shreds to make the pieces even smaller.
3. Put the cabbage, green pepper, green peas, onions and carrots into a large bowl and stir till you get a good mix.
4. In a separate, smaller bowl, mix the salad cream, mayonnaise, sugar and salt.
5. Pour the cream mix into the bowl of vegetables and stir very well.
6. Chill and serve.

Note: If you prefer the coleslaw creamier, you can increase the quantity of the salad cream. Feel free to add a pinch of ground pepper if you like it spicy.

Coleslaw can be eaten alone or as a side dish to Jollof Rice, Coconut Rice, Fried Rice and other Nigerian rice dishes.

How to Make Nigerian Chapman Drink

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Sometime ago, on my Facebook fan page, a fan asked me for the Nigerian Chapman drink recipe. That question took me down memory lane, to the first time I had a chapman at a Chinese restaurant in the Coal City of Enugu. I remember I loved it so much. So I thought, hang on my lovely, we are going to make that chapman together!

So off I went to Google in search of the Nigerian Chapman drink recipe. I found a few websites on how to make Nigerian Chapman but the day I wanted to make mine, I dug deeper and found this website that is wholly dedicated to this special Nigerian drink. The recipe for Chapman on that website is so detailed that nobody will have any problems making the drink.
So here, I'll show you how I made mine. I'll leave out a lot of the details because I think the recipe has been done enough justice on the website above.

Ingredients for Nigerian Chapman drink

The following are what I used for 2 classic dimpled mugs of chapman: 1 for me, one for hubby ;-)

• ½ cup Grenadine Syrup
• A few dashes of Angostura Aromatic Bitters™
• 35 cl Fanta Orange
• 35 cl Sprite
• ½ an Orange
• ½ a lemon
• Ice cubes

Optional Ingredient:

• Ribena™ Blackcurrant

To garnish:

Fell free to add any citrus and other fruits of your choice: cucumber, strawberry, orange, lemon, lime, even bananas. I used the following:

• ½ an orange
• ½ a lemon
• ½ a cucumber

Notes on the Ingredients and alternatives

1. Grenadine Syrup gives the drink its classic red colour. You can buy this at your local supermarket or on Amazon websites as listed below. If you can't find Grenadine Syrup, you can use red currant (extract the juice) or pomegranate but these don't give the drink the same taste.
2. Ribena concentrated blackcurrant adds to the red colour and gives the drink a sweetened taste but it is optional. Concentrated Ribena blackcurrant is easily available in Nigeria and your local supermarkets anywhere in the world.
3. You can make your ice cubes with a mixture of the Fanta and the Sprite. This is so that your drink does not go flat as is the case when the ice cubes are made with water.
4. Even though the Nigerian chapman contains a very small quantity of alcohol, I know there are those who will like to make a version that does not contain any trace of alcohol. If you want to make that, you can skip the Angostura Bitters but I warn you, the Nigerian Chapman will not be the same without Angostura Bitters. :)
5. Wondering other recipes you can use the remaining Angostura Bitters for? You can use it in cookies, cakes, ice cream, salads and other cocktail drinks. Or you can just keep it and use for Chapman, it does not expire in a hurry.
6. You should be able to buy Angostura Bitters from all big food and beverages shops in Nigeria, in your local super markets and on Amazon websites.

Where to buy the tools and ingredients you will need to make a chapman:

• Angostura Bitters: Buy it in USA | in UK
• Grenadine Syrup: Buy it in USA | in UK
• Classic Dimple Mugs Buy it in USA | in UK
• Chopping board: Buy it in USA | in UK
• Knives: Buy it in USA | in UK

Before you make the Chapman

1. Make the ice cubes either with water or a mixture of the fanta and the sprite.
2. Make sure the Grenadine Syrup, Fanta and Sprite are chilling in the fridge.
3. Cut the orange and the lemon into two equal parts each then cut one half of each into thin quarters. Reserve the other halves for squeezing into the drink.

Directions for making the Chapman

1. Put a few ice cubes in the mugs.
2. Add half a cup of the Grenadine Syrup, this should be about one third of the dimpled mug.
3. Add a few dashes of Angostura Bitters (to your taste).
4. Add a squeeze of orange and lemon each.
5. Share the Fanta equally between the two mugs, do the same for the Sprite. Remember to leave some space because the garnishings will take up their own volume.
6. Add your sliced garnishings: cucumber, orange and lemons. This list goes on and on, some people even add bananas to theirs :)
7. Top off with Ribena blackcurrant if you have it.
8. Stir with the straws and it is ready for drinking!

Enjoy it on a warm sunny day or on any special occassion with any Nigerian snack.